Our compelling ride through history

Published: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.

Some days are diamonds. Some days are dust. Let me tell you about a diamond of a day I recently experienced.

I was riding with two of my old buddies, Evans Thibodeau and Greg Pitpillo. We have Dave Scott as a guest. I was going to show Dave some sites that are mentioned in local author Terrell Garren's book "The Secret of War."

If you have never read this book, I recommend it in the highest terms. The book is a novel based on a true story. It is a fine read, and more importantly it gives an understanding of what the Civil War in Henderson County and its horrors were all about.

The book begins in a house on Third Avenue East (today a portion of the parking lot of the new courthouse). The rest of the action takes place in and around the Hoopers Creek community in Fletcher.

For all the grandiose history of the war with its set-piece battles of tens of thousands, the Civil War in Western North Carolina was more like bloody murder at midnight. Henderson County men marched off to war in other states, leaving women and children open to pillage and molestation.

We have many newcomers who move into our area, and one of the first things they notice is that the Southerner is "still fighting the Civil War!" The reason why the war wound is still grievous to some in the South is the fact that most of the bloodletting took place on Southern soil. In the North, the war was a war in the newspapers. In the South, the killings took place in Southern backyards.

The Civil War's effects upon the Southern psyche cannot be understood without reading such books as Garren's "The Secret of War." The book describes in realistic details the full-blown fervor of the war, beginning when all assured themselves that one Johnny Reb could whip 10 Billy Yanks. The capture of Washington, D.C., was merely a matter of time.

Speeches, martial music and bright flags at first. Then, as time passed, the flip side of "glorified" war was revealed. Hundreds of thousands of lives were blown away or stabbed or ended by sickness. The Southern economy stalled then disintegrated. Rebel currency was worthless. Worse still was the actual invasion of Western North Carolina. It would come, and when it did, it came with rape and hatred.

Oddly enough, as my buddies and I drove through the Hoopers Creek valley, all of us were struck by the peace, serenity and beauty of the area.

We were struck, too, at the somberness of all the sites we visited. The only thing left of the Russell farmhouse were foundation stones and a few outbuildings. This the house where Delia, the main character in the book, is molested and left for dead. We saw the site of the hideout that was built especially to protect those in the area. From its chosen location, the Union army could be seen for miles.

I showed my friends the actual house of Joseph Youngblood and Delia, where they married and lived after the war, poor Delia scarred forever by the criminal "bummers." There were heartless men filled with sin and baseness who knew no loyalty except to their own greed.

We went by the old Blake House ("The Meadows") where the military company was first formed. Patty's Chapel also was on our stop. We studied the tombstones that had weathered the sands of time. Joseph and Delia lie side by side, in peace forever.

We had one last but very important stop to make. After a delicious lunch (much appreciated by the alligators we are), we headed east on I-40 to Exit 66. This last stop is the site of the Battle of Swannanoa Gap.

War has a strange way in how it influences our lives. History can sometimes be described as happenstance. This battle was one of those times. The fact is, Confederate troops beat back the Union attempt at forcing the gap in Asheville. Had Union troops been able to reach Asheville, the chances are that the suffering of Delia and her family would have never taken place.

As it was, Union troops were forced to break into Asheville by way of Fletcher via Howard Gap Road and the Hoopers Creek area. This put them square into the lives of the people so masterfully described in "The Secret of War." This is when the molestation caused Delia to suffer from what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder. It took the strange form of Delia burying small amounts of money in the basement for the rest of her life. Only death released her from her personal hell.

It wasn't just the male combatants who knew the price of war. Southern women many times bore the heavier burden.

Our ride was successful. The history was good, and being with old friends and new made it even better. Some days are just plain old-fashioned fine.

One last thing I want to say about Terrell Garren's "The Secret of War": Thanks for writing it! It took guts and hard work. You done good, cousin. You done real good.

<p>Some days are diamonds. Some days are dust. Let me tell you about a diamond of a day I recently experienced.</p><p>I was riding with two of my old buddies, Evans Thibodeau and Greg Pitpillo. We have Dave Scott as a guest. I was going to show Dave some sites that are mentioned in local author Terrell Garren's book "The Secret of War."</p><p>If you have never read this book, I recommend it in the highest terms. The book is a novel based on a true story. It is a fine read, and more importantly it gives an understanding of what the Civil War in Henderson County and its horrors were all about.</p><p>The book begins in a house on Third Avenue East (today a portion of the parking lot of the new courthouse). The rest of the action takes place in and around the Hoopers Creek community in Fletcher.</p><p>For all the grandiose history of the war with its set-piece battles of tens of thousands, the Civil War in Western North Carolina was more like bloody murder at midnight. Henderson County men marched off to war in other states, leaving women and children open to pillage and molestation.</p><p>We have many newcomers who move into our area, and one of the first things they notice is that the Southerner is "still fighting the Civil War!" The reason why the war wound is still grievous to some in the South is the fact that most of the bloodletting took place on Southern soil. In the North, the war was a war in the newspapers. In the South, the killings took place in Southern backyards.</p><p>The Civil War's effects upon the Southern psyche cannot be understood without reading such books as Garren's "The Secret of War." The book describes in realistic details the full-blown fervor of the war, beginning when all assured themselves that one Johnny Reb could whip 10 Billy Yanks. The capture of Washington, D.C., was merely a matter of time.</p><p>Speeches, martial music and bright flags at first. Then, as time passed, the flip side of "glorified" war was revealed. Hundreds of thousands of lives were blown away or stabbed or ended by sickness. The Southern economy stalled then disintegrated. Rebel currency was worthless. Worse still was the actual invasion of Western North Carolina. It would come, and when it did, it came with rape and hatred.</p><p>Oddly enough, as my buddies and I drove through the Hoopers Creek valley, all of us were struck by the peace, serenity and beauty of the area.</p><p>We were struck, too, at the somberness of all the sites we visited. The only thing left of the Russell farmhouse were foundation stones and a few outbuildings. This the house where Delia, the main character in the book, is molested and left for dead. We saw the site of the hideout that was built especially to protect those in the area. From its chosen location, the Union army could be seen for miles.</p><p>I showed my friends the actual house of Joseph Youngblood and Delia, where they married and lived after the war, poor Delia scarred forever by the criminal "bummers." There were heartless men filled with sin and baseness who knew no loyalty except to their own greed.</p><p>We went by the old Blake House ("The Meadows") where the military company was first formed. Patty's Chapel also was on our stop. We studied the tombstones that had weathered the sands of time. Joseph and Delia lie side by side, in peace forever.</p><p>We had one last but very important stop to make. After a delicious lunch (much appreciated by the alligators we are), we headed east on I-40 to Exit 66. This last stop is the site of the Battle of Swannanoa Gap. </p><p>War has a strange way in how it influences our lives. History can sometimes be described as happenstance. This battle was one of those times. The fact is, Confederate troops beat back the Union attempt at forcing the gap in Asheville. Had Union troops been able to reach Asheville, the chances are that the suffering of Delia and her family would have never taken place.</p><p>As it was, Union troops were forced to break into Asheville by way of Fletcher via Howard Gap Road and the Hoopers Creek area. This put them square into the lives of the people so masterfully described in "The Secret of War." This is when the molestation caused Delia to suffer from what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder. It took the strange form of Delia burying small amounts of money in the basement for the rest of her life. Only death released her from her personal hell.</p><p>It wasn't just the male combatants who knew the price of war. Southern women many times bore the heavier burden.</p><p>Our ride was successful. The history was good, and being with old friends and new made it even better. Some days are just plain old-fashioned fine. </p><p>One last thing I want to say about Terrell Garren's "The Secret of War": Thanks for writing it! It took guts and hard work. You done good, cousin. You done real good.</p><p>Dixie Land. Old times there are not forgotten.</p>